1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a printing apparatus with a cutter and an image printing and cutting method, and more particularly to a printing apparatus with a cutter and an image printing and cutting method for printing one or more images on recording paper in a desired size and layout and cutting the outer form of one or more printed images on the recording paper on which the images are printed.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 9-66636 discloses a conventional printing apparatus with a cutter, in which the outer form of a label is designated first, and then the size of characters to be printed, designation of a font for the characters, and the characters are entered. The printing apparatus prints the characters on recording paper in accordance with the entered data. Then, the printing apparatus moves the paper along the X-axis in accordance with the entered outer form of the label, and moves a single cutter edge along the Y-axis to cut the outer form of the label. The label can be cut into an arbitrary shape such as an oval, cloud, heart, and star.
In this printing apparatus, since the outer form of the label is designated first and the size of printed characters, the designation of the font and the characters are entered second, the size of printed characters, the designation of the font and the characters have to be entered according to the outer form of the label. For this reason, it is complicated to edit the label in order to acquire a desired label.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 9-226194 discloses another conventional printing apparatus with a cutter, in which an image to be printed is captured and displayed, and the image is edited for printing as the need arises. The designation of the cutting area and coordinates of the image controls one or more cutters, which cut the recording paper horizontally and vertically. Then, the printed image can be cut in the designated cutting area.
In this printing apparatus, the cutting area, etc. has to be designated for the captured image or the edited image obtained by editing the captured image. For this reason, it is complicated to edit the cutting method. The printing apparatus can cut the recording paper vertically and horizontally and cut the aligned images quickly, but it cannot cut the image into an arbitrary shape.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object the provision of a printing apparatus with a cutter and an image printing and cutting method wherein it is unnecessary to enter a size and layout of an image to be printed on recording paper and edit a cutting method, one or more images can be printed on the recording paper in a desired size and layout, and the outer forms of one or more images are cut on the recording paper in a desired cutting pattern.
The present invention is directed to a printing apparatus comprising: an image data capturer for capturing image data representing an image to be printed; a cutting pattern selector for selecting a cutting pattern from a plurality of cutting patterns; a printing part for printing at least one image represented by the captured image data in a size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern onto recording paper; and a cutting part for cutting an outer form of at least one printed image on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern.
According to the present invention, a desired cutting pattern is selected from the plurality of cutting patterns, so that one or more images can be printed on the recording paper in the size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern, and the outer forms of one or more images can be cut on the recording paper in the selected cutting pattern.
The present invention is also directed to a printing apparatus comprising: an image data capturer for capturing image data representing an image to be printed; a cutting pattern selector for selecting a cutting pattern from a plurality of cutting patterns; a storage part for storing a plurality of pieces of template image data representing a plurality of template images; a template image selector for selecting one template image from the plurality of template images; an image processor for creating composite image data representing a composite image composed from the image to be printed and the selected template image by combining the captured image data and the template image data representing the selected template image; a printing part for printing at least one composite image in a size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern onto recording paper; and a cutting part for cutting an outer form of at least one printed image on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern.
According to the present invention, only if a desired cutting pattern is selected from the plurality of cutting patterns and a template image combined with the image to be printed is selected from the plurality of template images, one more composite images can be printed on the recording paper and the outer forms of one or more composite images can be cut on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern.
The plurality of cutting patterns includes a cutting pattern in which a part of the images printed on the recording paper remains uncut. The cutting part comprises: a plurality of cutters provided with punching dies corresponding to the plurality of cutting patterns; and a cutter holder for holding the plurality of cutters, the cutter holder moving one of the plurality of cutters providing the selected cutting pattern to a cutting position such that the one of the plurality of cutters cuts the printed image on the recording paper. The plurality of pieces of template image data, stored in the storage part, and the plurality of cutters, provided on the cutting part, are addable and/or interchangeable. Each of the plurality of cutters has a type indicator for indicating a type of the cutter; and the cutting part recognizes the types of the plurality of cutters held by the cutter holder associated with positions of the plurality of cutters on the cutter holder by reading the type indicators of the plurality of cutters prior to the cutting. The type indicators are barcodes.
The plurality of cutters are cutter rollers, the punching dies being provided on circumferential surfaces of the cutter rollers. The recording paper is used for producing at least one peel-off sticker, the recording paper comprising sticker paper and backing paper, the sticker paper being attached on the backing paper, the image being printed on the sticker paper; and the cutting part cuts only the sticker paper and leaves the backing paper uncut. The recording paper is roll paper used for producing at least one peel-off sticker, the roll paper comprising sticker paper and backing paper, the sticker paper being attached on the backing paper, the image being printed on the sticker paper; each of the cutter rollers has a cutting edge on the circumferential surface along a generatrix of the circumferential surface; and the punching dies cut only the sticker paper and leave the backing paper uncut, and the cutting edges cut the roll paper to a predetermined length by cutting both the sticker paper and the backing paper.
Each of the cutter rollers has a phase indicator for indicating a phase of the cutter roller; and the cutting part initializes the phase of the cutter roller by detecting the phase indicator while rotating the cutter roller, and phases the cutter roller with the recording paper to cut the recording paper. The type indicator serves as the phase indicator.
The printing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises: a paper feeder for feeding the recording paper to the printing part to print the image on the recording paper, and feeding the recording paper on which the image has been printed to the cutting part to cut the recording paper; wherein the printing part prints a positioning indicator as a reference for a cutting position onto the recording paper; and wherein the cutting part further comprises a sensor for outputting a detection signal upon detecting the positioning indicator on the recording paper while the paper feeder is feeding the recording paper, the cutting part operating in accordance with the detection signal.
The present invention is also directed to an image printing and cutting method comprising the steps of: capturing image data representing an image to be printed; selecting a cutting pattern from a plurality of cutting patterns; printing at least one image represented by the captured image data in a size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern onto recording paper; and cutting an outer form of at least one printed image on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern.
According to the present invention, only if a desired cutting pattern is selected from the plurality of cutting patterns, one or more images can be printed on the recording paper in the size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern and the outer forms of one or more images can be cut on the recording paper in the selected cutting pattern.
The present invention is also directed to an image printing and cutting method comprising the steps of: capturing image data representing an image to be printed; selecting a cutting pattern from a plurality of cutting patterns; selecting a template image proper for the selected cutting pattern from a plurality of template images represented by a plurality of pieces of template image data; creating composite image data representing a composite image composed from the image to be printed and the selected template image by combining the captured image data and the template image data representing the selected template image; printing at least one composite image in a size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern onto recording paper; and cutting an outer form of at least one printed image on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern.
According to the present invention, only if a desired cutting pattern is selected from the plurality of cutting patterns and a template image combined with the image to be printed is selected from the plurality of template images, one more composite images can be printed on the recording paper and the outer forms of one or more composite images can be cut on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern. The cutting pattern selecting step comprises the step of displaying the cutting patterns on a display screen, the cutting pattern being selected on the display screen. The template image selecting step comprises the step of displaying only the template images proper for the selected cutting pattern on the display screen, the template image being selected on the display screen.
The present invention is also directed to an image printing and cutting method comprising the steps of: capturing image data representing an image to be printed; selecting a template image from a plurality of template images represented by a plurality of pieces of template image data; selecting a cutting pattern proper for the selected template image from a plurality of cutting patterns; creating composite image data representing a composite image composed from the image to be printed and the selected template image by combining the captured image data and the template image data representing the selected template image; printing at least one composite image in a size and layout proper for the selected cutting pattern onto recording paper; and cutting an outer form of at least one printed image on the recording paper in accordance with the selected cutting pattern.
The template image selecting step comprises the step of displaying the template images on a display screen, the template image being selected on the display screen. The cutting pattern selecting step comprises the step of displaying only the cutting patterns proper for the selected template image on a display screen, the cutting pattern being selected on the display screen. If the selected cutting pattern includes at least two cutting shapes, the template images respectively proper for the cutting shapes are selected in the template image selecting step.
The recording paper is a sheet of paper used for producing at least one peel-off sticker, the sheet comprising sticker paper and backing paper, the sticker paper being attached on the backing paper; the image is printed on the sticker paper in the printing step; and only the sticker paper is cut and the backing paper is left uncut in the cutting step. The recording paper is roll paper used for producing at least one peel-off sticker, the roll paper comprising sticker paper and backing paper, the sticker paper being attached on the backing paper; the image is printed on the sticker paper in the printing step; only the sticker paper is cut and the backing paper is left uncut in the cutting step; and the image printing and cutting method further comprises the step of cutting the roll paper to a predetermined length by cutting both the sticker paper and the backing paper.
The image printing and cutting method of the present invention further comprises: the step of providing a plurality of cutters provided with punching dies corresponding to the plurality of cutting patterns; wherein one of the plurality of cutters providing the selected cutting pattern is used in the cutting step. It is therefore possible to quickly cut out one or more images from the recording paper.